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China's decision to ban imports of foreign waste, including some plastics, has reverberated all over the world, recycling operations in other countries struggling to cope to this new reality. But is this an opportunity wrapped up in a crisis?
Some experts claim that developed countries will finally have to face the real cost of their addiction to plastic instead of shipping the problem to China, which has taken up nearly half That could boost investment much needed in domestic recycling facilities as well as innovation in plastic manufacturing to make the products more suitable for reuse. It could also stimulate the noisy public campaign to change our waste culture.
Last year, China decided to ban imports of 24 categories of solid waste, including certain types of plastics, paper and textiles. Essentially, it seeks to improve its economy and manage its own mounds of waste more efficiently. Imported equipment added 10 to 13 per cent to its overall levels of waste
Another problem was the poor quality of waste imports, which made them more difficult to recycle and, therefore, harmful to the Chinese companies involved. The ban came into effect in January and the effects are now accounted for.
In a new study published in June in Science Advances, scientists at the University of Georgia (UGA) discovered that 111 million tons of plastic waste would be displaced. by the new China policy by 2030. All this garbage will have to go elsewhere.
The ban is already starting to bite. The Washington Post says states like Mbadachusetts and Oregon are lifting restrictions on dumping recyclables into landfills.
AFP reported that large stocks of recyclable materials are accumulating in the United States, with some municipalities stating that they will no longer collect certain materials. send them to landfills, while some recycling facilities store extra waste outside or in the parking lots.
"Our team is closely monitoring the reports and impacts of the ban and has certainly heard that waste accumulates within the borders of countries that have long depended on China or from other countries to import their plastic waste, "said Amy Brooks, Ph.D. student at the UGA College of Engineering and senior author of the Plastic Waste Study
. recycling process in the United States. The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) said in May that the ban exposed the problems caused by dirty recyclables. The introduction of single-stream recycling in the United States, a mixture of paper, metal, glbad and plastic, means that recyclables are less pure and less valuable.
"The good and the bad news strong. The public wants to recycle, but it expresses this enthusiasm by recycling materials that are not eligible. A combination of "recycling wishes" and insufficient application of quality proves very detrimental to the industry – abysmal and unstable markets, a dirty product that is not a " "reliable merchandise, closed factories and economically damaging programs". , the executive director of the NRC, said in a statement
"We can not continue to act and behave as if business, as usual, would offer a solution to the problems of today. We need to fundamentally change the way we talk to the public, how we collect and process our recyclables, and what our end markets accept and use to truly recycle, "said Greek.
Such changes will of course take time. As well as new investments in recycling facilities to fill the void left by China, which imported about 7 million tons of waste in 2016. This is even more worrying when we know that only 9% of the waste was recycled. on a global scale. Most of this waste ends up in landfills or in the environment, including in our seas.
Some developed countries reacted to the ban by sending their garbage to other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Malaysia. However, experts point out that some of these countries do not have the capacity to cope with the influx of waste and are already considering imposing their own restrictions. Another concern is that Asia is already home to five of the world's largest marine plastic polluters and that sending more waste to poorly equipped countries will only exacerbate this problem.
Since the Chinese embargo, British exports from Malaysia has tripled, according to the Financial Times, as the domestic recycling industry is considered languid and underfunded.
Peter Skelton of the WRAP Sustainable Development Organization believes that the government, waste management companies and local authorities can rise to the challenge. 19659002] "We depend on export markets for much of our recycling and this has to change.In some ways, it's a forced decision," said Skelton. "The waste management organizations and recycling have responded in a remarkable way … because they see the landscape moving, "he added.
Governments also have a role to play in investing in recycling and The UK government is expected to publish a strategy on waste and resources later this year.
UGA's Brooks is of the opinion that governments need to step up their efforts to educate people about recycling and encourage Innovation
The UGA study argues that the Basel Convention, which regulates the export of hazardous and other wastes, could be applied to plastic waste if it were qualified. "waste requiring special attention". It could then be regulated while knowledge could be shared and standards harmonized.
One of the potentially positive side effects of China's ban has been to draw attention to the need for a more sustainable circular economy, where resources like plastics will be used. for as long as possible. However, with relatively low oil prices, virgin plastic is cheaper than recycled plastic – a financial hurdle that needs to be overcome.
"It's a very complex financial and social situation," Brooks said. "I prefer to remain optimistic about improving our relationship with the plastic, despite some financial barriers.Everyone plays a role in our global use of plastic and the circular economy can be integrated into this relationship, from so that the waste is more valuable and less likely to end up in the environment. "
The European authorities seem to have recognized plastic. The European Commission's strategy for plastics, unveiled in January, says its commitment to make all plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2030 could create 200,000 jobs, but only if recycling capacity is multiplied by four .
For Brooks and his co-author Jenna Jambek, an badociate professor at the UGA College of Engineering, China's ban should serve as a warning and opportunity for the government. improve the domestic management of plastic waste and invest in technology and new initiatives.
"The essential thing is that our solutions in the future, we must integrate all stakeholders, citizens, governments and industry, locally and internationally," said Mr. Brooks
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